Laura Muir prepares to enter Commonwealth Games fray
Laura Muir and Jemma Reekie enter the fray on the opening day of athletics in Birmingham.
Newly minted world bronze medallist Muir is slated to enter the heats of the women’s 800m a fortnight to the day after reaching the 1500m rostrum in Eugene.
She is joined by training partner Reekie, a semi-finalist at Worlds, continuing to search for her best form after a winter bout of glandular fever.
Stirling’s Andy Butchart finally gets his Team Scotland chance in the men’s 10,000m final having withdrawn from Gold Coast 2018 through injury.
Butchart has only raced once this season over 10,000m, that coming in March, and is one of only 12 Commonwealth athletes entered in the event.
Discus star Kirsty Law, who is due to become an aunt in three days’ time, will be confident of a medal push having won a silver at June’s British Championships.
This summer, Team Scotland, supported by funding raised by National Lottery players, compromises of over 250 athletes, all vying for medal success.
Elsewhere beach volleyball pair Melissa Coutts and Lynne Beattie will hope to bounce back from opening-game defeat to Vanuatu in a home nations grudge match against England.
The best that bowls pair Alex Marshall and Paul Foster can hope for is bronze and they will need to get past Sam Barkley and Martin McHugh for a podium place.
There is a chance of better in the para men’s pairs event as Kevin Wallace and Garry Brown face Australia for gold with silver guaranteed.
In netball the Thistles will be up against it to avert a third defeat in three games as they face Jamaica’s highly fancied Sunshine Girls.
Frank Baines, who came out of retirement to compete here, could well compete for the final time in the men’s horizontal bar final where he will be joined by team-mate Hamish Carter.
Meanwhile Edinburgh tiling instructor Matty McHale enters the fray in the bantamweight boxing competition where he faces Jabali Breed of Barbados at the round of 64 stage.
Tyler Jolly also confronts Caribbean opposition at welterweight in the shape of Jamaican Daniel Hylton.
After a strong performance from Scottish judoka on the opening day of grappling, Wishaw star Billy Rodman goes for the podium in the -73kg category.
And national record holder Agata Herbert will hope to make an impact in the 76kg weightlifting.
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